


Beyond Black and White

by PandaTanks



Category: Avengers (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - High School, Angels, M/M, Wing Kink, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-13
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-14 20:10:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/840896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PandaTanks/pseuds/PandaTanks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He had black wings, and apparently in their society that meant they were allowed to be jerked around as much as the higher ups pleased. Angels with white wings were far more respected and were found to be higher beings than those with black. It was all very corrupt but that was how it had been for years."<br/>Angel AU where Steve and Tony are the guardian angels of Peter and Wade. Based off an rp I did with my friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tony hated being assigned to new people.

The angel leaned against the lockers of the school where his person was currently attending. Wade Wilson was the latest in the line of people Tony had to look after. Normally, an angel would be assigned to a person from their birth to their death. But that wasn't the case for Tony. He had black wings, and apparently in their society that meant they were allowed to be jerked around as much as the higher ups pleased. Angels with white wings were far more respected and were found to be higher beings than those with black. It was all very corrupt but that was how it had been for years. 

“You’re really boring, you know that?” Tony said, mostly to himself. People couldn't hear or see angels unless they had once been angels themselves. Fallen angels weren't very common to find but, due to their ability to see angels, it was extremely illegal to engage with one.

“Hah, yeah, I am boring. But that's just because if you're bored than you're boring, yeah?” Wade said to himself. Tony’s eyes widened and he looked at Wade in surprise before waving a hand in front of the high schooler’s face. He didn't react meaning he wasn't a fallen angel, because if he was then he would be able to see Tony and wouldn't have been assigned a guardian in the first place. Apparently, Wade thought Tony’s voice was simply all in his head. Tony guessed he was used to voices like this due to the nonchalant way he addressed it.

Tony was about to say more to Wade, thinking it would be fun, but the sound of wings flapping and wind rushing through his hair alerted him of the presence of another angel. He turned around and the first thing he noticed was a pair of large white wings. The angel looked back at him, curiously, with his blue eyes. He had blonde hair, combed over, and looked pretty built under his dress shirt. Tony rustled his wings a bit defensively, worried the angel might spell trouble.

“Who are you?” He asked, no longer leaning against the lockers.

“Oh, um…Hi,” he responded, still looking a bit frazzled from finding another angel here. He was about to answer Tony’s actual question but a banging from inside one of the lockers pulled their attention away from each other.

“Is the kid in the locker yours?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, his name is Peter,” Steve said, before walking over to the locker and waving a hand over the lock. The lock suddenly came undone and a boy with messy brown hair and glasses came tumbling out. Wade looked over in surprise.

“Oh, hey, are you alright? I didn't know you were in there, I was really distracted,” the voices always seemed to distract Wade.

“Its fine, I've been in those for much longer than that,” Peter said, rubbing his neck due to being cramped in the locker for so long.

“Whoa, that's awful. Well I'm glad you're okay. It's nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Wade Wilson,” the blonde boy said with a crooked grin, for once trying to act a bit polite. He sensed that this boy was a social outcast just like him, so maybe they had a chance of becoming friends. “What hour do you have lunch? Wanna sit with me?”

“Oh, um, I have it 6th period,” Peter was surprised that someone actually wanted to hang out with him. He only had one friend, Gwen, who had been his friend since they were practically born.

“Great, me too! That works, then. I guess I'll see you there?” Wade asked. The boy grinned when Peter nodded and then they said their goodbyes before retreating to class. They both knew they would be late to their next period, but it seemed worth it.

“I guess we'll be seeing a bit of each other?” Tony said, watching Peter and Wade leave.

“I guess so,” the white winged angel said. “I’m Steve by the way.”

“Tony Stark,” he said with a proud puff of his wings, he was famous after all. His father owned Stark industries up in heaven. Heaven was relatively like earth in a lot of ways. Besides taking care of humans, they all had normal jobs. Tony and Steve were actually still attending the angel equivalent to high school. The only difference seemed to be that heaven was far more corrupt. Who would have thought?

Steve smiled and shook the hand that Tony held out. Steve knew Tony’s father, Howard, ever since he volunteered to be part of a project the man was running. He was happy to finally meet his son, he had heard a lot about him. Unfortunately, all he knew was from the papers and not from the boy’s own father.

Tony couldn't help but notice that Steve had a very nice smile, he wouldn't mind seeing it again. “It was nice meeting you, Steve. But I've gotta get going.”

Before Steve could say goodbye, Tony was already gone with a flap of his wings. Steve couldn't help but admire his wings for a moment, wondering how anyone could find black wings anything but beautiful. Once he shook himself out of his stupor, he took off. He had somewhere very important to be. It was the birthday of an old friend of his.

***

“Stebe! Stebe! You came for my birfday!” When Steve landed in his room, the boy that said this happily ran into his arms to hug him. 

“How could I miss your third birthday? You are getting so big, Bucky,” Steve ruffled the boy’s black hair and Bucky giggled.

Bucky was a fallen angel and Steve knew that interacting with him would lead to him becoming one as well. Steve just couldn't leave his old friend alone without a guardian though. He had to protect him, especially since it was his fault that Bucky fell in the first place. Believe it or not, Steve used to have black wings. A group of white winged angels had been beating him up, when he was much smaller, and Bucky had come to his rescue. Bucky had black wings, and when word that he took on white winged angels got out, he was cast away to be reborn as a human. After that, Steve found his life to have become meaningless. That’s why he offered to be Howard Stark’s test subject.

Howard wanted himself and his son to be respected more, so he started a project that would change an angel’s wings from black to white. No one had survived the tests so far, so Steve decided he might as well volunteer. Unfortunately for him, rather than dying he became the first one that it worked on. Howard was overjoyed and was going to try it on himself, but the government shut him down. They found changing wing color to be taboo.

“Honey, your grandparents are here to say happy birthday. Come downstairs,” Bucky’s mother said, opening the door to the room. 

“Ok mommy! I’ll be back later to play more, Stebe!” Bucky said to him before running out the door. His mother frowned, worried about how long her son would have this imaginary friend for. He had talked about Steve nonstop since he could first talk. It seemed normal at first but now it was just too much. This was one of the reasons angels were not allowed to interact with fallen ones, because they would make them seem crazy to others.

“I’m sorry…” Steve whispered, knowing the mother couldn't hear him. He flew away and Bucky’s mom shivered, having felt the gust of air. She closed the window thinking it was the breeze and went downstairs.

The tears in Steve’s eyes dried as he flew to his own school, he was going to be late if he waited any longer.

***

“Just ignore everyone,” Natasha whispered to Clint as they made their way down the school grounds. People stared, some in awe some in disgust, at Clint’s wings. Clint had developed an interesting wing mutation, one that actually had him traveling with the circus for a while. Rather than having black wings, like his friend Natasha, or white wings, Clint had wings that resembled a hawk’s. No one really knew how to react to wings like Clint’s and would usually treat him like less than a black winged angel. The only type of angel he was treated better than was those with their wings clipped. Angels with clipped wings were considered the scum of society and would rarely survive, due to being kicked out on the streets where they were likely to be killed.

“Yeah, that’s what I usually do,” Clint said, trying to keep his wings behind his back. The only time he would usually extend them all the way was during the shows at the circus. People tended to be more interested in his wings than his actual talent, archery.

When Tony landed at school and the first thing he noticed was that all attention was not on him, like it usually would be. He followed everyone’s gaze and, when he saw Clint’s wings, decided to walk over to talk to Clint. Anyone with wings that interesting is bound to be an interesting person as well. 

“You're new here,” Tony wrapped a wing around Clint, effectively covering his wings. Clint looked grateful. 

“Yeah, it’s my first time in school,” Clint admitted.

“Well I'm glad I actually showed up today, I like meeting new people,” most of the time Tony wouldn't even show up to school. He would just go on days of tests and get perfect grades. “What class do you have first?”

“We have history,” Natasha said, looking Tony over. It took her a long time to get used to someone and trust them. Tony was no different.

Tony checked his phone, not even remembering his schedule. “Oh, sweet, me too. Mind if I walk with you two?”

“Sure, why not. You can probably show us around,” Clint said.

“I would, if I actually knew my way around, but I’ll try,” Tony said. “I didn't catch either of your names, by the way. I'm Tony, but you might have already known that.”

“I’m Clint Barton,” the boy smiled.

“Natasha Romanoff,” She said with a nod of her head. Tony committed the names to memory, but Tony already found himself distracted. From across the courtyard he spotted a pair of beautiful white wings and an unmistakable head of blonde hair.

“Hey Steve!” Tony called out, waving his hands. Steve turned around, having heard his name, and looked at Tony in surprise. Tony gestured for him to come over. “Over here!”

Steve walked over awkwardly, not used to socializing too much with other angels anymore. “Hi Tony, I didn't realize you go here.” Their school, SHIELD Academy, was actually one of the only schools in heaven that allowed angels of black and white wings to go together.

“I usually don't,” Tony smirked. “I work with my father a good deal of the time so school is kind of a second priority, you know?”

“You should come more often,” Steve said. Part of him said this wanting Tony to take school more seriously, but the other part just wanted to see him around more.

“I may have to, I didn't know that there were tolerable people here. I've been to a couple private schools and everyone was a total asshat. This is Clint and Natasha by the way,” Tony gestured to the two of them, who waved hello in response. Steve waved back.

“Nice to meet you,” he said. Now people were really starting to stare. A group consisting of a black winged angel, an angel with a wing mutation, a white winged angel, and Tony Stark definitely did not go unnoticed. It would probably be the talk of the school for days. Many people that passed by them gave them dirty looks, wondering why they would be around someone like Steve. 

“Sure you wanna break status quo and hang out with us, Steve? People're giving you funny looks for being near the 'scary awful black-winged folk'.” Tony said, using air quotes.  
Steve simply nodded. "I honestly don't understand why it’s such a big deal,” he shrugged. 

Tony was stunned silent for a moment, but then he smiled. “Sweet.”

The bell rang and they realized they were the only ones that were left in the court yard. Tony, Clint, and Natasha quickly said goodbye to Steve before going to their class. Steve ran in the opposite direction, since his class was nowhere near theirs. The school may have been a mixed school, but it was rare that the classes were mixed as well. Tony actually managed to get into a lot of white winged classes, due to him being famous and smart.

***  
By the time Steve got to English class, there was only one seat left. He sat down in that seat, located in the front, next to a boy named Phil Coulson. Phil had white wings, just like everyone else in their class at this time. The teacher turned around and started writing notes on the board, not caring much about what the students were doing while she did this.

“Hi, I’m Steve,” he said, deciding to officially introduce himself to Phil. Today had been a good day and he had already made a lot of friends, so he decided to make one more.

“Nice to meet you, I'm Phil. I think I've seen you around, were you the one talking to Tony Stark earlier?” he asked. 

“Yeah, that was me,” Steve was surprised how fast word got around the school.

“Nice to see I'm not the only one in this terrible school who isn't completely biased. You’re good in my book, Steve,” Phil said smiling, his eyes crinkling around the edges in a warm way. Steve couldn't help but smile back. Before they could talk more, the teacher officially started the lesson.

***

The next time Steve saw Tony it was lunch. Phil and Steve walked in together and Tony called him over, much like before, saying he could bring his friend as well. At the table, Clint and Natasha were already sitting with him. Phil felt his eyes flick to Clint’s wings for a moment, amazed by the brown color, but he tried not to stare to long. Clint seemed very uncomfortable with all the looks he was getting.

“I'm Phil. I'm Steve's friend and I'm glad you guys are letting me eat with you,” Phil did his best to try and not act superior, like most white wings would.

“Well if you're Steve's friend you've got to be alright,” Tony gestured for them both to sit. Steve ended up sitting right next to Tony.

“Why don't you have any food?” Steve asked, noticing that the only thing Tony had with him was a thermos of coffee. Tony shrugged in response.

“....Food? I have lunch, if that's what you mean,” Tony gestured to the cup. 

“That’s not food,” Steve stated, before passing Tony half of his sub. It was pretty large considering Steve had the metabolism of a racehorse.

“Coffee is totally food, don't lie to me,” Tony took the half of the sub anyway though. Tony didn't understand why Steve was being so nice to him and briefly wondered if the sandwich was actually poisoned and this was just another plot to kill him. 

“Hey. I know that's Tony, but who are you two?” Phil asked Clint and Natasha. 

“I’m Clint,” he gestured to himself and then to Natasha. “Silent but deadly over here is Natasha.” Clint flinched when she hit him on the arm.

Phil laughed a little. “Very nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Clint grinned. He hadn't expected to actually make friends on his first day, especially with wings like his.

“I'm trying to figure out where I've seen you before. I've definitely seen you before,” Phil said to Clint, tilting his head to the side. Clint’s grin quickly disappeared.

“Umm…Well…..I guess if you've ever been to the circus…” Clint said, hoping Phil wouldn't think of him as a freak.

“No, I haven't. Have you ever been involved in some kind of sport?” Phil asked.

Clint immediately brightened. “Archery.”

“That's it! You were in some charity competition a few years back, weren't you?” Phil knew he remembered that smile.

“Yes! I didn't think anyone would actually remember me from that!” Clint was over the moon and Natasha actually felt herself smiling a bit. It was time that Clint made a good friend, besides her. 

Before they could continue their conversation though, a group of white wings walked up to their table. They had been watching the whole time and were fed up with the two types of angels talking to each other like they were friends. To them, it was disgusting.

“And what do you all think you are doing?” the blonde girl, that seemed to be the leader of the group, said in her annoyingly shrill voice. 

“And what is this?” one of her lackeys cackled before grabbing ahold of Clint’s wing. Clint yelped and everyone in the table stood up in his defense, Natasha being the first one. Angels’ wings were very sensitive and it was the height of disrespect to touch them without permission. That’s one of the reasons why everyone was now turned and looking in their direction.

“You have five seconds to back away before I ensure that you're all assigned to mentally unstable humans for the rest of your existences,” Tony glared at them harshly. The girl’s smile disappeared and was replaced with her own glare. Then she looked to Steve and Phil.

“Keep hanging with filth like this and your wings might get dirty,” she said.

“It is a fine day, we should not taint it with arguments. What is the problem here?” a voice boomed from beside them. All heads turned and a tall angel with blonde hair stood there with an equally tall angel with jet black hair and green eyes standing next to him. The silvery sheen to their wings unmistakably meant they were Royals. Royals were said to be decedents of the first great archangels and were highly respected. There was absolutely no higher authority.

The girl gasped, amazed that those two were even interacting with her. “These black wings are sitting with white wings, you must do something about it!”

“Leave them be. The color of one's wings is just a color. It makes no difference as to who they are. You ask them not to be friends now, yet if their wings were the same you would not even look their way,” the blonde one, evidently named Thor, said.

“Would you feel the same way if, by any chance, you happened to be night-winged rather than day-winged?” the other, named Loki, asked. 

“O-of course,” she stammered, no longer as confident as she once had been. 

“Somehow I doubt you'd still be so biased were you on the less loved side of the spectrum,” Loki said. The girl seemed scandalized and turned on her heels angrily and stomped away, with her posse behind her.

“Thanks for the save back there guys,” Clint said.

“We wouldn't let them do anything to you Clint, you’re our friend now,” Phil said. “Mind if I fix your feathers?” Phil pointed to Clint’s wing.

“Go ahead,” Clint said. Phil started running his fingers through the feathers, straitening them. Clint sighed contently, loving the feeling.

“If this problem happens again feel free to consult us,” Thor said to Tony.

Tony nodded. “I will. Hey, do you want to sit with us so we can thank you properly.”

Thor looked over joyed by the idea. “Of course! My brother and I would love to dine in your company!”

And before they knew it. Two more people were added to their little group of friends.

***

While this was all happening, Wade was waiting outside of the lunchroom for Peter. Part of him was worried he would be a no show but that worry washed away when he saw Peter’s familiar face.

“Hey,” Peter said, not sure what else to say. He was a bit awkward when it came to social situations. 

“Hiya!” Wade clapped him on the back. “So, where do you want to sit?”

“Anywhere is fine,” Peter said, and they ended up at a small table in the corner. A few moments of silence passed where neither of them knew what to say. Then, Peter suddenly blurted out, “Did you know blood sucking hookworms inhabit 700 million people worldwide?”

That got a conversation started. Talking to Wade was surprisingly easy, especially since Peter realized that if you didn't talk, Wade would do the talking for you. They quickly fell into step together, talking about useless facts and cracking jokes. Wade was extremely happy to find someone who laughed along with him, rather than think he is annoying.

But, this of course got the attention of the people that bullied Peter.

“What’s this? Parker finally tricked someone into hanging out with him?” Flash laughed, followed by three of his friends. Peter looked away, knowing thing would have come sooner or later. Wade was bound to no longer want to be friends with him thanks to Flash.

“No, I went willingly,” Wade said easily. Peter looked up at him, surprised.

Flash raised his eyebrow. “And I thought shoving him in a locker would make it so people didn't have to deal with him for a while.” All of his friends laughed simultaneously and high-fived each other.

“Well I figure being six feet underground would stop people from having to deal with you ugly mugs, too~,” Wade said in a sing-songy voice. The bullies looked at him in surprised and actually looked pretty scared. Wade was, after all, the school ‘nut job’. 

“You’ll realize your mistake soon enough,” Flash sneered before leaving with his group. 

“Sorry about that….” Peter said, ashamed.

“It's no problem. Why do they even care that I'm hanging out with you? You seem alright,” Wade said. Those were just the words Peter needed to hear.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve and Tony walked out of school together, having met up at their lockers. When they had all finished lunch they agreed to meet after school. Everyone seemed eager to get to know each other better. They were a group of misfits and many of them hadn't had real friends before this. So, of course, they already made some plans.

“I almost forgot, I should probably check on Peter before we meet up with everyone,” Steve told Tony.

“Keep him from getting shoved in any more lockers?” Tony asked, playfully. “Actually, I should stop in with my person, too. He could hear me, it was... weird.”

“That is strange….Are you sure he isn't a fallen angel?” Steve was worried, he didn't want Tony to have the same fate he would inevitably have.

“Positive.”

Steve sighed in relief. “We could go together if you want. They both seem to be spending a lot of time with each other.”

“Yeah, that'd be cool. Oh, and I'd like to know, were you recently re-assigned to Peter? I just got switched to Wade and I'm curious,” Tony said.

“I have been assigned to Peter since he was born. He’s a really good kid, I try to help him as much as I can with the bully situation,” Steve knew what it was like to be bullied.

“Last time I had this guy named Logan, total nut job. He was some sort of vigilante and I think he almost went to jail for murder but they couldn't prove anything,” Tony said. Those with black wings would always get the crazy and hard to handle ones. “Let’s get going!”

Tony spread his wings and took off into the sky. Steve laughed as the angel did a few flips while whooping happily. Tony loved flying, it was the time where he truly felt free.

“Race you!” He called before shooting off. 

“You’re on!” Steve yelled back, taking off and following Tony. Steve had larger wings so each flap of them was very powerful. Tony on the other hand had smaller wings, but he was more streamlined. In the end they were both able to go at the same speed.

As they approached where Peter and Wade were, Tony suddenly did a nosedive down to build up speed. Laughter built up in his chest as the wind flew through his hair and adrenaline took over. When Steve realized what he was doing, he quickly followed him down.

“Gotcha!” Steve laughed when he reached tony and grabbed onto him. It was a spur of the moment thing and he held Tony closer than he originally planned. Soon they crashed into the ground and tumbled around for a moment, rolling down a hill. When they finally stopped, they were in a mess of feathers and Steve found himself leaning over Tony.

“You certainly did,” Tony smirked and winked, causing Steve to blush. “Either you didn't think this through very well, or you did and you're a lot more forward than I thought you were.”

Embarrassed, Steve scrambled off of Tony. “Let’s go check on our people, we don't want to keep the others waiting.”

Tony frowned, a bit disappointed, but agreed. 

***  
Peter waited outside of the school building by a little bench near the path that lead to the nearby park. After hitting it off at lunch, Peter and Wade made plans to meet after school. The only person Peter had ever spent time with after school was Gwen, so this was pretty nerve wracking. He was about to leave, thinking that Wade was a no-show, when two arms wrapped around him and covered his eyes.

“Guess who?”

Peter couldn't help but smile in relief and excitement. “Defiantly Steve Buscemi.”

“How did you know?” Wade said in an amazed voice. 

“I have my ways.” 

“Poof!” Wade removed his hands. “Steve Buscemi is now Wade Wilson. I am a wizard.”

“Wouldn't you rather be going to Hogwarts than here then?” Peter said. 

“Nah, I don't look good in robes,” he shrugged. “So, where do you wanna go? To the park? A pizza place? A taco bell?”

“We could go to the park and then grab something to eat afterwards,” Peter suggested. 

“Great idea! Swings and food are two of my favorite things!” Wade threw an arm around Peter’s shoulder and they headed down the path to the park. Peter blushed a bit, but figured wade was this touchy-feely with everyone.

***

“Good to see they are still hanging out together,” Steve smiled as he watched Peter and Wade walk to the swing set. 

“Yeah, Wade'll be good for helping Pete not get bullied so much,” Tony said. Wade’s head perked up as he heard them and he ended up waving in their general direction. Steve gaped, but Tony already seemed pretty used to it by now. Peter looked at Wade confused, wondering who he was waving to. 

“It's pretty buggy out here, isn't it? I think I just walked through a gnat swarm,” Wade told him, Peter seemed to accept that as an answer. 

“You're a total nut, Wade, but you're good for Pete. Keep him safe for us, okay?” Tony said to him. Wade just smiled and went back to talking to Peter.

They watched the two converse for a while, but then Steve remembered that Bucky expected him to see him again today. “I have to go somewhere, you can go ahead of me and meet up with everyone if you want.”

“Do you mind if I tag along? I’d rather go back together,” Tony said.

Steve was reluctant about the idea at first, he could get in a lot of trouble and he didn't want Tony to get involved as well. At the same time he knew that Tony would be very stubborn about going, so he might as well give up now. “Ok, just promise me you’ll keep this a secret.”

“Alright,” Tony actually looked pretty worried when Steve said this, but very curious at the same time. Since Tony didn't know how to get to Bucky’s house, Steve took him by the hand. Tony was surprised for a moment. When Steve touched his hand it was like a jolt of electricity had shot up his arm. They took off together, holding hands tightly so they would stay with each other. Bucky’s home was pretty far from where they were but the speed of an angel was unmatched. They were there within minutes, landing in the boy’s bedroom.

“Hey Bucky, how was your birthday,” Steve smiled, kneeling down to the boy’s height. Bucky, who had been playing with his toys, looked up and smiled when he saw Steve. Much like before, he ran over and hugged him. Steve wrapped his wings around the boy and hugged him back.

“Stebe! I gots a new airplane from my mommy!” The boy said excitedly, backing up and showing Steve the little airplane in his hands.

“Wow! Its red too, that’s your favorite color,” Steve ruffled Bucky’s hair. Then, Bucky noticed Tony standing behind him. The boy looked between the two of them, confused. Tony was just staring at Bucky in shock. He knew that it was virtually suicide for Steve to engage with a fallen angel like this. For some reason it terrified him to no end, the thought that someone could easily rip Steve away from him now. 

“I'm Steve's friend Tony. Nice to meet you, Bucky!” Tony said with a smile so Bucky would get used to him. Bucky smiled back.

“Want to see my trains?” he asked.

“Aren't you supposed to be in bed? Your mom doesn't like it when you stay up late,” Steve gave him a stern, yet affectionate, look.

“I’m scared of the dark,” Bucky said. It was a new phase the child was going through.

“I’ll stay here till you fall asleep ok?” Steve offered. Bucky nodded enthusiastically and hopped into his bed. Tony shut the lights for them and Steve began to pet Bucky’s hair.

It didn't take long for Bucky to fall asleep but Tony and Steve stayed there for a while, just sitting in silence. Both of them knew how much trouble Steve was in but no one wanted to voice it. The looks they gave each other seemed to say enough.

“Did you love him?” Tony whispered.

“Yes,” Steve looked down at Bucky, who was sleeping. “He was my best friend...we were like brothers really. And it was my fault this happened to him….The least I can do is watch over him.”

“I can't tell you to stop, I understand that, and I'm sure you're going to be careful, but just remember that if you get caught you'll be just like him,” before Tony realized what he was doing, he ended up hugging the angel. He held Steve for a long time, while Steve rested his head on his shoulder. Tony wrapped his wings around him, as though that would stop anyone from taking him away.

“I know....” Steve finally whispered.

***

Tony and Steve left to meet up with their newly acquired friends at the coffee shop that was in town. It was a common meeting place for those in high school so it was an obvious choice. Phil stood there trying to decide on if he wanted a chocolate glazed doughnut or a powdered doughnut while Clint stood behind him.

“You know, if you can’t decide you can just get both and we can split half of each,” Clint said.

“Sounds good to me,” Phil pulled out his wallet to pay, but Clint shoved a 5 dollar bill into his hand. 

“Here, I’m not making you pay for all of it,” Clint said stubbornly. 

“Really, its fine. My treat,” Phil offered. He felt bad making the man pay, even though he didn't know Clint actually was in a tight money situation.

“I insist. If we’re sharing then we should share the bill too,” Clint shrugged. Phil knew he wouldn't be able to convince Clint otherwise, so he took the $5 to pay. Clint smirked, satisfied with his victory.

Hopefully he won’t notice when Phil slips $5 back into his pocket.

“Hey guys. Miss us?” Tony strode in, with Steve in tow.

“Took you two long enough,” Natasha stated.

“What took you guys so long anyway?” Clint asked with his mouth full of doughnut. Phil watched, his face amused.

“Aww, I feel loved. I wanted to see if one of my old charges was in jail yet: Spoiler alert, he isn't,” Tony said and Steve looked at him gratefully. 

After Tony got himself a coffee and a Boston cream doughnut, they all decided to go to the park. The park near where they were was huge and reminded many angels of central park down on earth. Little did they know, the circus happened to be in town.

Once they started flying it ended up as a race again. Clint was amazingly fast, thanks to his hawk-like wings. Tony and Natasha were right behind them. Phil hung a bit in the back, just looking at Clint’s wings in amazement. Steve took it easy and stayed with Thor and Loki. Steve and Thor were just enjoying seeing everyone so happy. 

Soon, Clint just got farther and farther in the lead, before disappearing from sight completely. They landed where they said they would, near an old bench near the edge of the park.

“Where’s Clint?” Natasha said, worried. Clint knew they would be meeting here, so he wouldn't have flew past.

“Maybe he got a little lost, you two are knew around here right?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, but we have been here before. Clint used to be in the circus and they would go everywhere,” Natasha responded.

Tony raised an eyebrow and pointed to a sign. “You mean like the one in town?”

“Bozhe moi,”she muttered to herself.

***

In Clint’s defense they had all sneaked up on him. Otherwise he totally would have been able to take them on. Currently, three men were dragging Clint away. As he had been flying they flew up beside him and grabbed him by the wings. Now, one was holding him by the legs and the other by the arms, and the last one was still holding him by the wings. It hurt like hell, causing Clint to continue flailing around every time they moved.

He continued to fight them, but it was useless. Eventually they made it to the circus and they dragged him into the boss’ trailer. They held Clint up on his feet but continued holding onto his wings, so he wouldn't make an escape. They knew by now not to underestimate Clint Barton.

“Hawkeye!” the boss turned around to him on his chair with a false smile on his face, one that made him seem genuinely terrifying. “Good to see you back. Now, boys, be careful with the wings. We don't want to hurt the money maker.”

“What should we do with him?” one asked in a gruff voice.

“We have an extra cage for the animals just put him in there so he can't fly away,” he never once took his eyes off Clint. “Welcome back to the family, Hawkeye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr is yaoisammy  
> Sorry if this is moving a little fast paced  
> Please comment and kudos!
> 
> Also here is a reference to Clint's wings: http://leesbirdblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/red-tailed-hawk-by-ray-93300123_ghhnf9pk.jpg


	3. Chapter 3

“What's going on, Natasha?” Phil asked.

“Clint had been in the circus since he was little. His parents abandoned him because of his wings. He hated the place and they treated him terribly, so I helped him get out. Apparently they just found him and they really want him back,” Natasha said, already preparing to get him back by getting out her hidden knives. Tony was a bit alarmed by that but not entirely surprised.

“How dare they lay a hand on a friend of the Odinson family!” Thor boomed, summoning his hammer. Royals had a very special ability to summon a certain weapon. It was different for each one. Thor’s was his hammer and Loki had what seemed to be a magical staff.

“What are we up against if we go in swinging?” Tony did know some hand to hand combat, since being a Stark made it likely he would be attacked.

“Each of them have a unique set of skills and even those who aren't knife throwers or fire jugglers would be able to kill easily. It’s dangerous, some of you should probably stay behind,” Natasha said, prepared to take off and find her friend.

“We’re going,” Steve stated, his voice ringing with authority. Natasha simply nodded.

“Let's go get him back, then.”

***  
It didn't take long to find the circus, after all giant brightly colored tents were hard to miss. Natasha, being the quietest, went ahead of everyone else to figure out what tent Clint was in while everyone else hid in the bushes. Waiting was difficult when all they wanted to do was save their friend.

“He’s in the animal tent,” Natasha informed when she came back, “They have him locked in a cage and there is a cuff around his ankle holding him in there as well. Eight angels are in there holding a large game of poker so we’ll have to take them out.”

“I can easily pick the lock,” Tony pulled out his Swiss army knife. With this is shouldn't take him long at all to pick a simple lock. 

“Alright, Tony you do that and Phil you stay with him so you can help Clint when you get him out. The rest of us will have to distract the people in there. We’ll have to take two each,” Steve said, taking charge. Steve was good at thing like this and everyone listened as he explained the game plan.

As soon as they knew what they were doing, Natasha led them into the tent under a weak spot in the tarp. They were covered by crates and the angels had yet to see them. Clint’s head snapped up though from inside the cage as soon as they entered and he looked straight at the crates they were hidden behind.

Unfortunately, Thor accidentally knocked over a bucket that was on the crates once he came inside. That got the attention of the angels away from the poker game. One got up and made their way over to the crates but before he got there he was interrupted by Clint.

“You know, you guys really shouldn't play with the circus magician. Marcos has been hiding cards up his sleeves the whole time and that’s why he has been winning,” when Clint said this the angel, who must have been Marcos, lost all interest in the crates and angrily went to Clint’s cage. 

“You should learn to keep your mouth shut, Hawkeye. After all, the only thing you are valuable for is your wings, no one said they had to be attached,” he sneered. Marcos reached out to grab Clint’s wing to prove a point but before he could do anything Natasha’s knife was in his shoulder. 

After that, everything erupted into chaos. Everyone jumped out from behind the crates and began to attack the circus angels while Tony and Phil ran to the cage to help Clint. It didn't take long for them to take out the angels that had been watching Clint but what they didn't count on were others in the circus hearing them. 

“There are more coming! Hurry!” Steve yelled to them before picking up a garbage can lid. He had no weapon and it was the closest thing to him so it would have to do. As the first angel entered the tent, Steve hit him in the head with the lid with a loud bang. The man fell down at the entrance, unconscious. 

“Working on it!” Tony called back as he made it to the first lock. He then went on to the lock on the cuff around Clint’s ankle while Phil went to Clint’s side to see if he was hurt.  
Soon the place was flooded with circus folks and they found themselves fighting at least three at a time. Most of them swarmed Thor and Loki since, with weapons like theirs, those two were the strongest. Steve made do with his trash can lid and found it was actually rather effective while Natasha continued to use her knives. 

Steve’s heart lurched when he noticed one of the angels stray from the fight and come up behind Tony. With a moment’s thought, Steve threw the lid and it hit the angel in the back of the neck, knocking him out.

Tony’s head whipped around when he heard the body hit the floor. He saw Steve, now weaponless, surrounded by angels. Quickly, Tony finished picking the lock and ran to Steve’s aid, tackling one of the angels to the ground. Luckily, this distracted the rest of them enough for Steve to once more gain the upper hand. Unfortunately, the angel was able to get a few hits on Tony, resulting in what was probably going to be some nasty bruises. He was pretty sure his nose was bleeding and judging by the metallic tang of blood in his mouth, he had a split lip.

While Phil escorted Clint out of the tent and as far away as possible, one of the angels suddenly grabbed Loki by the wing. Loki’s yell of alarm died in his throat as he saw his wing steadily become black, starting from the point the angel touched him. They both looked down at the one wing in shock. Loki, not knowing what to do, stabbed him with the blade at the end of this staff. The angel went down and his wing started turning white again. Loki almost thought it never happened with how quickly it all passed. No one seemed to have seen what happened, making it seem unreal. Loki knew he had some questions for his father later, but all he could do now is shakily go back to battle.

“Clint is out of here. We ought to make a break for it before the police come,” Natasha said to Steve and Tony, now fighting back to back with them. Almost all the other angels in the room were now knocked out or dead so escape would be easy. Steve nodded and motioned for Loki and Thor to follow them. Soon they were all running out of there and flying away. None of those in the circus followed them; they suffered too many casualties thanks to Natasha and Loki. They couldn't afford to lose anymore, not if they wanted to keep the circus running.

Tony ended up leading them all to the mansion he lived in with his father; it was definitely big enough for all of them. Clint and Phil found themselves on the couch practically cuddling each other. Phil had his wings wrapped protectively around Clint as they watched Men in Black on Tony’s large TV. Natasha sat on the other side of Clint, petting his hair. Clint wasn't really in shock or anything like everyone seemed to think, he was actually pretty surprised they cared this much, but he was enjoying himself. Sitting between them was the most at home he had ever really felt. While they were doing this Thor and Loki were eating snacks in the corner. Well, more like Thor ate all the food while Loki sat there in deep thought.

“Is something wrong, brother?” Thor’s eyebrows were furrowed as he looked at his brother with concern.

“I don't know. I...I must speak with father when we return home,” this only made Thor more worried, he had never seen his brother look this shaken.

“If you wish, we shall leave right away,” Thor offered.

“I would like that, yes,” Loki said, standing up.

Thor nodded and stood up as well before turning to Tony, “Thank you for your hospitality Anthony, but we must be taking our leave.”

“No problem big guy,” Tony said. “Come back anytime you want.”

Thor and Loki nodded in thanks and promised to return before leaving for their home.

“Oh my god! Tony what happened to your face?” Steve asked, seeing Tony for the first time since they got back. Tony just looked at him like he had no idea what he was talking about.

“What do you mean, my face is flawless,” Tony smirked but the smirk faded when he felt the blood still lightly dripping from his nose. Steve led him into the kitchen to the sink and got out a towel and some ice. Tony sat down on the counter next to the sink while Steve gently cleaned away the blood. Tony hissed in pain when Steve touched his lip.

“Sorry!” Steve responded right away, jerking his hand back.

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” Tony insisted but Steve got a piece of ice and held it to his lip. Tony looked up and met Steve’s eyes, causing his breath to hitch in his throat. Steve’s eyes had a caring nature that Tony had never seen directed at him. It was almost overwhelming, seeing how genuinely worried Steve was for him. Something stirred inside of Tony, a rush of emotions that he couldn't explain. Tony leaned in closer, but stopped himself when they were only a few inches away from each other. 

“You stopped,” Steve whispered, breaking the silence.

“What?” Tony was still in a bit of a haze.

“You stopped bleeding,” Steve clarified before removing the ice and backing up a bit. His cheeks were flushed and he found himself unable to meet Tony’s eyes.

“Oh…” Tony muttered. “That’s good I guess.” 

There was another awkward silence before Steve said, “You shouldn't have done it.” 

“Done what?” Tony asked, looking up. Now Steve’s eyes bored right into his.

“You shouldn't have put yourself at risk like that,” Steve said louder this time.

“Was I just supposed to let that angel hurt you?” Tony responded defensively. 

“If it means you not getting hurt then yes!” at this point those in the other room could hear them but they chose not to say anything, this was between Steve and Tony.

“I don’t care if I get hurt, Steve!”

“Well I care!”

Tony didn't know what to stay, he just stood there searching Steve’s eyes to see if what he said was true. 

“We all care about you Tony,” Steve said, with his hands on Tony’s shoulders. Then, without even thinking, Steve pulled him against his chest and hugged him. Once the shock wore off Tony found him wrapping his arms around Steve’s middle and hugging him back. At that moment Tony realized he may have actual feelings for someone.  
He was so screwed.

***

The Barnes home was quiet as Bucky slept, unknowing of his visitor. Each year an angel checks up on the fallen angels, always being careful that it does not see them. This year was no different and an angel, sent by the government, came to see how the child was doing.

She was surprised to see that he was actually doing quite well. He was in top condition when normally, by this time, a fallen angel would be dead. It was difficult to survive when not watched by a guardian. They would easily fall ill or have the worst luck when it came to accidents. James Barnes was perfectly healthy and thriving.

The angel left the room and found the parents bickering in hushed voices. Curious, she walked over to listen in, holding her clipboard and pen in her hand.

“I don't know what to do! He is convinced this Steve Rogers is real. I thought this would pass, but he has been talking about Steve since he learned to speak!” Mrs. Barnes’ told her husband.

“It will pass. It’s just an imaginary friend, we all had one,” Mr. Barnes reasoned.

“It isn't normal for this phase to last this long, you know that. It’s keeping him from making any real friends. This obsession with his imaginary friend is starting to scare me. We have to explain to him that Steve is not real,” she looked down at a picture Bucky drew of himself and Steve that was placed on the table. 

“Just give him a bit longer, honey. I’m sure it will pass,” he attempted to comfort her by rubbing her arm.

“Alright,” she sighed, “but this can’t go on forever.”

As they both left to go to bed, the angel looked at the picture drawn by the child. She gasped when she saw that the boy had clearly drawn large white wings on his imaginary friend. Realizing what this meant, she quickly wrote down the name Steve Rogers and underlined it before flying away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Comment and Kudos!  
> The next chapter should have more of Peter and Wade.  
> Sorry about how long this chapter took!

**Author's Note:**

> I know it seemed like what happened with peter and wade was the same as what happened with the angels but i wanted there to be parallels there.  
> Please comment and kudos!


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